Week in Review

April 18, 2014
Here is the latest edition of Week In Review - a series of weekly messages from the Mayor and City Council to help Richardson residents and businesses keep up to date on events at City Hall.

Tickets Now on Sale for Wildflower! Festival
The 2014 Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival’s three-day pass went on sale for $30 on Monday at all Metroplex Tom Thumb stores and online through wildflowerfestival.com. The three-day pass will be available until 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 16.

Single-day adult tickets will be available at the gate for $20 as well as through the festival’s website. Kids age 5-12 will be admitted for $3, and admission for kids 4 and under is free.

Richardson residents can purchase up to six individual adult tickets per each day of the festival for only $10 each. Kids 12 and younger get in free on May 18 with a paid adult courtesy of Bank of America and adult tickets are $10 on Sunday courtesy of Cisco.

Cottonwood’s ArtStop to Feature Crafts, Recycling Opportunities for Kids
Children can enjoy several opportunities to let their creativity shine at ArtStop, the interactive kids area at Cottonwood Art Festival. Richardson’s Community Services Department will educate children about recycling as they repurpose slices of tree limbs into necklace charms to decorate and wear. Returning activities include Crazy Cool Caps, Throwin’ Mud pottery, Canvas Classics painting, Fancy Fingers wax hands, Chalk Board Easels and Chisel Away.

Cottonwood Art Festival is set for 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 3 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 4 at Cottonwood Park. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit cottonwoodartfestival.com.

Pick Up Trash Bash Supplies at Pre-Event Meeting on Thursday
Richardson residents will come together Saturday, April 26, to beautify the city by picking up trash and recyclable items at the annual Trash Bash. Anyone interested in participating is invited to a pre-event meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Civic Center. City organizers will hand out trash bags and release forms and provide assignments during the meeting.

If participants have not already chosen an area, participants will be assigned to a street, park or other designated area to pick up trash and recyclable items beginning at 9 a.m. April 26. Register for the Trash Bash by calling 972-744-4076 or visiting cor.net/trashbash.

Pick Up Free Blue Bags, Recycling Information on Earth Day
In conjunction with Earth Day, on Tuesday the City will promote living green and recycling in the community by making residential recycling more convenient than ever before. On Earth Day, Richardson residents may redeem their “blue bag letter” for two rolls of blue bags at one of three designated locations. Additionally, residents will be able to pick up a free roll of blue bags at the following locations, which include extended hours:

City Hall (411. W. Arapaho Rd.) from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Huffhines Recreation Center (200 N. Plano Rd.) from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Fire Station #6 (3591 Park Vista Rd.) from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Information about water restrictions, water conservation, recycling and Trash Bash will also be available. The City’s goal is to increase awareness of recycling programs offered by the City and to increase the amount of material that is diverted from landfills for recycling. For more information about the City’s recycling programs, visit cor.net/recycling.

New Plan Adopted To Support Future Water Needs
When the current drought is over, the city of Richardson will adopt a new set of water conservation measures that would permanently place limits on lawn irrigation schedules across the city no matter how much water is in local reservoirs. The new limits are part of an updated plan that the City Council approved this week and is being submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

The TCEQ mandates that every city update its water use plans every five years. On Monday the City Council approved Richardson’s new plans, which aim to promote water conservation, reduce waste and promote efficient watering practices. It also outlines future lawn irrigation schedules that do not allow more than twice-a-week lawn irrigation.

The reason for the impending change is due to the severity of the current drought and severe lack of water in local reservoirs, which is currently limiting Richardson to a twice-per-month watering schedule. Lawn irrigation accounts for the largest consumption of those available supplies, and implementing permanent restrictions in the future is hoped to help increase future water reserves until new water resources can be created.

Lanes to Close on Renner Road for Water Valve Repair
Two eastbound lanes of Renner Road between Plano Road and Foxboro Drive will be closed beginning Monday as the City makes repairs to a water valve that has failed and is leaking. Road repairs are anticipated to last until April 28, but metal plates will be used to allow all lanes of traffic to be open during peak travel times.

Richardson water utility workers will close a 20-inch water main at 1 a.m. April 27 on Renner Road just east of Plano Road to make critical repairs. The outage will impact approximately 300 water customers in the area, which is mostly made up of single-family homes and some businesses. Water is anticipated to be turned back on late Sunday afternoon.

The Community Services Department welcomed 110 guests to the Neighborhood Leadership Workshop on Tuesday at the Civic Center. The event helps attendees develop a better appreciation of neighborhood issues and vitality strategies and gain an understanding of City operations and neighborhood association management techniques.

League of Women Voters, RISD Council of PTAs to Host Candidate ForumThe League of Women Voters of Richardson and the Richardson ISD Council of PTAs will jointly host a forum for the Richardson ISD Board of Trustees candidates at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Richardson ISD Administration Building, 400 S. Greenville Ave. The event is open to the public.

If you have a question you want to ask the candidates at the forum, e-mail it to voterservice@lwvrichardson.org. Questions that are e-mailed are given the same consideration as questions submitted at the forum.

Jaiping Shi Dance School to Perform at Eisemann Center
The Jaiping Shi Dance School will present “Love of Dance” at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Eisemann Center. Tickets cost $10 to $15 and are available at eisemanncenter.com or by calling 972-744-4650. For more information, visit jpsdance.com.

Prestonwood Christian Academy Presents “Annie” at Eisemann Center
Prestonwood Christian Academy will present “Annie” at 7:30 p.m. April 23-26 and 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26 at the Eisemann Center. Tickets cost $12 to $25 and are available at eisemanncenter.com or by calling 972-744-4650. For more information, visit prestonwoodchristian.org.

Friends of the Library Book Sale Next Weekend
The Friends of the Library will hold its spring book sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 25 and 26 and 2 to 5 p.m. April 27 in the Basement Program Room at the Richardson Public Library. For more information, visit richardsonfol.org or call 972-226-2167.

Richardson Animal Shelter Pet of the Week

Hey there, I'm Mr. Bigs. I used to be a street cat but was brought to the Shelter. At first I was not happy about being there, but the people here are really nice. I was given food, shelter and love. I was also neutered and vaccinated. I like to hold intelligent conversations, lounge around, give head butts and get scratches under my chin. Now I'm just waiting for the right person to come along and take me home.